California

Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday that California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed legislation to boost the wildfire fund of the state with an extra $18 billion. The plan is well-known by sources. Could not verify immediately the report. California lawmakers created the California Wildfire Fund in 2019, which is managed by the California Earthquake Authority. This fund, which has a $21 billion budget, will provide more immediate and substantial compensation to victims of certain utility-caused fires, while protecting the power companies from large claims. The report stated that electricity ratepayers will contribute half of the money via a monthly charge,...

PG&E's, California's biggest electric utility, saw a 40% increase in the number of requests from developers of data centers across the northern part the state for power supplies this year, a company executive said on Tuesday. California's Silicon Valley has one of the oldest and largest data center markets in the world. However, analysts say that the high cost of electricity and the price of land will prevent the state from capitalizing on the surge of artificial intelligence data centers currently being built across the nation. PG&E said, however, that it sees signs that the state has still room to...

Southern California Edison, a division of Edison International, announced on Friday that it had submitted to California's Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety a Wildfire Mitigation Plan for a period of three years. SCE stated that the plan is a continuation of efforts to address both immediate and long-term risks from wildfires in response to changing customer needs and extreme weather conditions. The company anticipates investing $6.2 billion in three years, from 2026-2028. This includes the installation of at least 440 additional circuit miles covered conductor as well as nearly 260 circuit mile of underground distribution lines. Brian Fennessy, fire chief...

Vistra Corp reported a loss for the first quarter of the year on Wednesday. The independent power producer suffered from setbacks with its hedging and increased costs. Its shares fell nearly 6% at the opening of trading. The company stated that the quarter's deficit was mainly due to unrealized losses on derivative positions, as energy prices rose in advance periods. The utility was impacted by the continued high interest rates for a longer period of time, as this made the cost to invest in critical infrastructure like electrical grids and construction more expensive. Vistra's interest expenses rose by nearly 88%,...

Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro said at the CERAWeek Conference in Houston that Southern California Edison will start its first physical inspections to examine certain power equipment for possible links with the Eaton Fire, which started in Los Angeles in early 2014. On Jan. 7, several fires broke out in Los Angeles, claiming dozens lives and destroying tens of thousands of homes. This is expected to be one of the most costly natural disasters in U.S. History. Multiple lawsuits claim that SCE power towers and lines in the hills near the Altadena community started the Eaton Fire. Los Angeles County,...

On Wednesday, the County of Los Angeles, City of Pasadena and other public entities filed lawsuits against Edison International, its subsidiary Southern California Edison and others, alleging that they were responsible for igniting California's most devastating wildfire. The Eaton Fire, which began early in January in the foothills to the east of Los Angeles and scorched over 14,000 acres - nearly as large as Manhattan - caused dozens of fatalities. The authorities have not yet released an official cause of the major fires including the Eaton fire. The County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District...

On Wednesday, the County of Los Angeles, City of Pasadena and other public entities filed lawsuits against Edison International, its subsidiary Southern California Edison and others, alleging that they were responsible for igniting California's most devastating wildfire. The Eaton Fire, which began early in January in the foothills to the east of Los Angeles and scorched over 14,000 acres - nearly as large as Manhattan - caused dozens of fatalities. The authorities have not yet released an official cause of the major fires including the Eaton blaze. The County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District...

Edison International's CEO stated on Thursday that California's wildfire fund of $21 billion may protect the balance sheet of Edison International if it is determined that equipment owned by Edison's electric utility was responsible for a deadly Los Angeles blaze last month. Southern California Edison is one of California's largest utilities and is currently facing an increasing number of lawsuits that claim its power lines were responsible for the Eaton Fire near Pasadena. Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro told investors that the California Wildfire Fund has a total of $21 billion, and is largely untapped. This fund allows utilities in...

In 2024, SCE equipment will ignite nearly 60% more fires No cause yet determined for the Eaton Canyon fire that SCE is being sued for SCE partially blames the weather for increasing fire ignitions Tim McLaughlin Southern California Edison equipment caused nearly 60% more fires than the previous year in 2024. These were mostly small fires that were quickly put out as the utility fought to prevent disaster in the months before the Los Angeles wildfires. SCE disclosed in its quarterly report to regulators this month that the escalation in fire ignitions on their territory preceded the multiple wildfires which...

Southern California Edison's parent company has been sued by shareholders for allegedly misleading them before the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area, when it assured them that they could shut down the power lines to minimize the risk of catastrophic damages. The proposed class action filed against Edison International on Tuesday appears to be the initial shareholder lawsuit stemming directly from the Eaton Fire, which began in Altadena (California) east of Los Angeles during the Santa Ana winds. The fire destroyed over 9,400 structures, and 17 people were killed. Edison did not immediately comment on the complaint, but said...

Southern California Edison, an unit of utility Edison International, said on Monday initial analysis of data showed a short-lived and expected boost in existing on its energized lines in the Eaton Canyon corridor on Jan. 7 evening. Fire officials have not discovered SCE to be responsible for the Los Angeles fires. However the company's infrastructure is being examined and it deals with a number of claims declaring its devices triggered the harmful Eaton fire. The current update from the company comes a day after a New York Times report that included brand-new video footage of electrical arcing and analysis pointing...

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's (LADWP) possible liability for the recent Palisades Fire will depend on whether the utility's power lines or assets were associated with sparking the wildfire, credit rating company Moody's said in a report on Friday. The reason for the lethal Palisades Fire, which has actually burned almost 24,000 acres considering that appearing on Jan. 7, is still under examination. LADWP, the largest U.S. community utility, has not yet filed an event report associated to the blaze, Moody's. stated. Damage to LADWP's circulation lines and other. infrastructure will likely not materially affect the utility's....

California Coastal Commission voted against SpaceX's plan to double the number Falcon 9 rocket launches that the company can conduct from Vandenberg Space Force Base each year, from 50 up to 95. As was the case last October when the commission voted to oppose an expansion of SpaceX launches from 36 to fifty at the installation. The U.S. Government can simply override California regulators' objections and approve this latest plan. The U.S. Department of the Air Force (parent agency of the Space Force) has stated that the proposed expansion of the launch site at Vandenberg is an activity of the...

Three sources familiar with this matter have confirmed that California officials are looking for a buyer to take over the Benicia refinery of Valero Energy, located near San Francisco. This is an unusual move, as the company plans to close the facility by April. California's 28 million drivers, who already pay some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation, are now concerned about protecting the fuel supply in their state. California's efforts to prevent the refinery from shutting down also mark a shift in government policy from recent years, which has focused on championing green initiatives and limiting fossil...

The U.S House of Representatives has voted to block California's historic plan to stop the sale of only gasoline vehicles by 2035, which was adopted by 11 states. The House has backed legislation that will repeal the waiver granted by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the former president Joe Biden, in December. This waiver allowed California to mandate 80% electric cars by 2035. Major automakers urged this action because the rules were not feasible. California claims the rules are necessary to reduce pollution, and that the vote was illegal. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the program is crucial to...

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to be sympathetic to fuel producers' bid to challenge California's vehicle emission standards and electric cars in an air pollution case under federal law. This is a case that involves the Democratic-governed State's ability to combat greenhouse gases. The Justices heard arguments from a Valero Energy sub-division and groups representing the fuel industry in their appeal of a lower courts ruling that they did not have the legal standing required to challenge the 2022 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to allow California to set its own rules, separate from the federal government. Both conservative and...

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on the Republican plan to repeal Biden's approval of California’s landmark plan that would end the sale of only gasoline vehicles by 2035. The office of House Majority leader Steve Scalise said that on Wednesday, lawmakers would vote to repeal the waiver given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December to California allowing it to mandate at minimum 80% electric cars by 2035. These rules have also been adopted by 11 other states. The question remains as to whether Congress has the power to revoke the waiver under the Congressional...

The executive order issued by U.S. president Donald Trump on Tuesday aims to prevent the enforcement of laws that have been passed in states to reduce fossil fuel use and combat climate changes. This is just the latest effort by Trump's Administration to boost domestic energy production and fight back against policies largely led by Democrats to curb carbon emission. The move came only hours after Trump, the Republican, had issued orders to increase coal output. The order directs the U.S. Attorney general to identify state legislation that addresses climate change, ESG Initiatives, environmental justice, and carbon emissions and take...

A U.S. Judge said that several companies, including Walmart, Beech-Nut, and Gerber, must face a national lawsuit alleging that toxic heavy metals were contaminated in their baby food and caused brain and neurodevelopmental damages to the children who ate them. In a ruling on Wednesday, U.S. district judge Jacqueline Scott Corley stated that parents could try to prove defective manufacturing, negligence, and failure to warn their children about over 600 baby food products, caused them to suffer from autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Parents claimed that some defendants did not adhere to their internal limits on how...

First, there were the rapid-fires that caused so much destruction. Workers are now tackling the delicate and massive task of cleaning up hazardous debris from the wreckage of the homes that were destroyed in the Los Angeles fires earlier this month. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to speed up the removal of contaminated materials. His administration set a deadline of Feb. 25, 2019. On Thursday, workers in hazmat suits and hard hats, as well as other protective gear, picked through the rubble to find paint cans, batteries, and other items. The buckets were emptied...

Inbound U.S. President Donald Trump's shift group is recommending sweeping changes to cut off assistance for electric cars and charging stations and to reinforce procedures obstructing automobiles, elements and battery materials from China, according to a file seen . The recommendations, which have actually not been formerly reported, come as the U.S. electric-vehicle shift stalls and China's greatly subsidized EV industry continues to rise, in part since of its superior battery supply chain. On the project path, Trump promised to alleviate policies on fossil-fuel cars and trucks and roll back what he called President Joe Biden's EV mandate. The shift...

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a bid by fuel producers to challenge California's. requirements for car emissions and electrical cars under a. federal air contamination law in a major case checking the. Democraticgoverned state's power to combat greenhouse gases. The justices used up an appeal by a Valero Energy. subsidiary and fuel market groups of a lower court's rejection. of their obstacle to a decision by Democratic President Joe. Biden's administration allow California to set its own. policies. The disagreement fixates an exception approved to California in. 2022 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to nationwide....

Constable deputies in Malibu, California, just north of Los Angeles, were going door to door before the break of occur to Tuesday ordering individuals to evacuate as a nearby wildfire rapidly magnified, threatening homes in the beach neighborhood. The brush fire blaze - called the Franklin Fire - forced students at Pepperdine University in Malibu to shelter in place overnight, as it knocked out power and led some trainees to leave to the school's commons and library. Right now, it looks like the bulk of the danger of the fire has passed us. A lot of what surrounds us is...

Rainfall did little to slow a. wildfire burning on the border of New york city and New Jersey on. Monday, officials said, as strong winds assisted the fire grow. The Jennings Creek Fire, situated about 30 miles northwest of. New York City, has actually now torched some 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares). and is 20% consisted of, according to authorities at a press. conference provided by the New york city State Parks department. Half of the containment is in New York and the other half is. in New Jersey, authorities stated, adding that rains overnight. did allow firefighting crews to rest....